In The Solar System
The following is a list of natural satellites and environments in the Solar System with a possibility of harboring extraterrestrial life.
| Name | System | Article | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europa | Jupiter | Life on Europa | A subsurface ocean is maintained by geologic activity, tidal heating, and irradiation. The moon may have more water and oxygen than Earth and a thin oxygen atmosphere. |
| Enceladus | Saturn | Water could be maintained liquid under the surface due to geothermal activity. | |
| Titan | Saturn | Life on Titan | Its atmosphere is considered similar to the early Earth although it is somewhat thicker. The surface is characterized by hydrocarbon lakes, cryovolcanos, and eventually by rain and snow. It has a remote possibility of an exotic methane-based biochemistry. |
| Callisto | Jupiter | Thought to have a sub-surface ocean heated by tidal forces. | |
| Io | Jupiter | Due to its proximity to Jupiter, it is subject to intense tidal heating which makes it the most volcanically active object in the Solar System. The outgasing generates a trace atmosphere. | |
| Triton | Neptune | Triton orbits retrograde around Neptune and cannot haved formed in-situ. It is believed to be a captured member from a former binary. Its high orbital inclination with respect to Neptune's equator drives significant tidal heating, responsible for the dashing surface arrangements observed by the Voyager 2 space probe. This heating possibly maintains a layer of liquid water or a subterranean ocean. | |
| Charon | Pluto | Possible internal ocean of water and ammonia evidenced by possible cryovolcanic activity. |
Read more about this topic: Natural Satellite Habitability
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